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... While Roman ruin is listed despite '60s rebuilding

A Roman ruin in the City of London that was rebuilt in the 1960s has been on the receiving end of an unlikely ministerial listing decision.

Culture minister David Lammy has listed the ruin of the Temple of Mithras, which is now situated in an open-air site next to James Stirling's No 1 Poultry, as Grade II.

This is an unusual decision because although the fabric of the 3rd Century AD temple is real, it was dismantled and moved from its original site where it was discovered in the 1950s.

Lammy insisted that despite the fact that it was moved and rebuilt, it was still one of the most important Roman ruins ever found in Britain.

Lammy said: 'This temple is a highly significant remnant of Roman London representing the only known Mithraeum in the City.

'It has been a great archaeology learning tool in the heart of London and it will now be preserved for future generations.

'Listing is a tool for management of the historic environment, not a tool for its absolute preservation, and the proposal to relocate and reconstruct the Temple in its original site can now be considered in that context,' he added.

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